Diary of an Apprentice Scent Hunter, Day 2

I’m back with more updates on my progress through the ranks of Throrian Scent Hunters. I’m still a humble Apprentice but I’ve finally progressed past the first chamber. The Scientists’ council has decided I’ve polished enough empty vials to get my hands on some fragrance-making tools!
Nothing too complicated (or delicate) yet, but I’m thrilled to be moving forward. Maybe in another hundred years or so I’ll even get to mix a couple of ingredients together.

My current task is distilling essential oils from the eggs of winged lizards.

This seemingly humble ingredient had profound symbolic value to the ancient Stratinites of planet Thror. The pure essence of the winged lizard egg was seen as a symbol of fertility and procreation and is still very popular for wedding perfumes and as a birthday gift for young Throrian ladies entering marriageable age. Understandably, there is a very high demand for this component and Throrian Scientists produce gallons of it every day.

The preferred method for obtaining essence of winged lizard egg is distillation - a process commonly used on Earth for plant-based material. The material to be distilled is placed in a massive water-filled cauldron-like contraption called a still and heated at a temperature just below boiling point. The vapors created by this process rise through cooled pipes where they condense back into liquid form. The resulting fragrant oil is collected in a flask.

The whole thing is enormously exciting in theory of course, but the process can take up to twenty-four hours depending on the substance being distilled. Hence, the unfortunate Apprentice is left alone in the dark with no companion but a steaming metal barrel while true Scientists go off to hone their exquisite senses over a nice lunch. And this goes on for days. Behold the grisly images that now haunt my nightmares:

The instant I close my eyes, I am violently jolted awake by the blood-curdling thought that my burbling still has overheated by fraction of a degree or that an errant tongue of flame has licked the bottom of the tank tainting the entire batch with with a burnt odor.

Turns out scent making is about more than delicate rose petals and provocatively-shaped bottles. It’s about blood, sweat and tears (just don’t get any of that into your freshly-distilled essential oils!)

Diary of an Apprentice Scent Hunter, Day 1

As a writer I have always had my own take on the infamous piece advice given to many aspiring writers - “write what you know.” Personally, I believe in knowing what I write instead. I may not know what it’s like to be an ancient Throrian Scientist, but I can sure find out.

This is why, as part of my work on the sequel to Digging in the Stars, I have decided to come back to Thror and become an Apprentice Scent-Maker in one of the most legendary scent laboratories in the Known Galaxies. I’m studying hard, hoping to make it all the way to Journeyman level. Unfortunately, I have yet to make it past the first chamber, where I am kept busy washing and polishing scent vials. I haven’t seen so much as a sliver of tree bark. Not worthy yet. This may not sound like the most exciting job in the universe, but it has its benefits.

The vials are magnificent, each more precious and elegant than the one before. Like Throrian scents, vials have their own meanings and symbolism and pairing a newly brewed scent with the right vial is a large part of the Scientist’s skill. Each vial is unique. The key moment  of the ceremony of ushering a young Throrian into adulthood (at the tender age of seventy-five) is the unveiling of his or her own signature essence, as unique as a fingerprint. The scent is presented in a custom-designed vial carved of rock crystal or semi-precious stone, cast in shimmering metal, or whittled out of polished sea-wood taken deep from the watery mantle of Thror’s frozen core. This scent will define the young Throrian for the rest of his or her life, announcing their presence, serving as an introduction and mixing with scents of conversation, command, entreaty, celebration or love.

These are some of the vials whose company I have been enjoying, all glowing from inside and shimmering with brilliant colors. I can’t wait until the day I’m deemed ready to know their meanings and feel the fragrances locked in their hearts. I hope my mentor will be that charming young scientist with the fuzzy rose-colored head tentacles and the timid smile. Everyone calls him Rosebud.

Stratum 6 - The Artists

The Artists worked both the metals and minerals of Thror to create sculpture, relief carving, mosaics, architecture and textile designs. They were responsible for the sophisticated beauty of the Nine Strata. They designed the masks for all Nine Strata and used their own masks to show off their skills.

Stratum 7 - The Metalworkers

The Metalworkers melted, welded and sculpted the metals found by the Extractors creating much of the furniture, jewelry, weapons, tableware and even books used throughout the Strata. The most skilled workers of the Lower Strata, the Metalworkers passed long and rigorous apprenticeships to earn their places. They wore  leather aprons covering the length of their bodies to guard against hot fumes. The elegance of their simple attire highlighted their privileged position among the Lower Strata and their design skills.

Stratum 8 - The Tunnellers

The Tunnellers hewed massive tunnels that stretched for miles through the frozen core of the planet and maintained the interstratal transport passages. Their snout-like masks protected them from the cold and dust. They were the most warmly-dressed of the Nine Strata, using furs, woven fibers and leather to protect their sensitive amphibian skins from extreme temperatures. They were the fittest Stratum, able to glide quickly through frozen passages on foot blades similar to those worn by Earthian ice skaters. A proud and exclusive group, the Tunnellers were always ready to react violently to undue pressure and disrespect from higher Strata.

Stratum 9 - The Extractors

The Extractors spent almost their entire lives submerged in underground streams, sifting sand infused with priceless Gunnarium metal particles, found only on planet Thror. They wore little to no clothing most of their lives. Only the Chief of the Stratum owned a set of ceremonial robes to wear when summoned to the Grand Council. Aside from their outstanding extracting skills, they were particularly proud of their fertility as evidenced by the substantial cod-shell you see on the Extractor below. Their cerata were the most elaborate and bushy because of the amount of time they spent underwater. Their masks concealed their noseless faces and helped filter the water they breathed. The Extractors always kept a low profile, acknowledging that everyone looked down on them despite the fact that the prosperity of the Nine Strata rested on their scaly shoulders.

Journey to the Center of Ancient Thror

The cover for my upcoming Young Adult Science Fiction novel, Digging in the Stars has just been officially revealed! Blaze Publishing, Jennifer Malone Wright and I had a party on Facebook to celebrate. We will have another to mark the release at the end of March.

In preparation for the actual release and the upcoming party, I am starting a series of posts to introduce you to the  lost ancient extraterrestrial civilization that Carter and her friends discover on planet Thror in Digging in the Stars. As a stop motion animator, I needed to make the characters with my own hands in order to be able to write about them. Now I have a crowd of ancient Throrians living in my house! I will be using the characters I created to illustrate my posts.

Ancient Thror was divided into two main areas, the Nothingness of the Barren Surface, populated by tribes of so-called “Furry Giants” and the subterranean realm, which was occupied by a profoundly sophisticated amphibious civilization divided into nine social classes called “Strata.” All Stratinites wore complex, long-nosed masks that protected their sensitive breathing mechanisms when above water and represented their status and role. Long, colorful cerata streamed from their heads like hair, absorbing oxygen and nutrients from the air and water. The higher the Stratum, the more time its members could spend above water. I will be introducing you to all the different Strata, starting from the deepest levels and traveling up to the crust. Each post will be dedicated to a single Stratum starting from Stratum 9, the Extractors. These numbers and names were given to the Strata by the earliest Earthian explorers who first visited Thror in the 1920s.

Keep watching this blog. I will be releasing details on a new Stratum every Wednesday and Saturday!

The Language of Scents

Blaze Publishing, Jennifer Malone Wright and I are throwing a party for the official Digging in the Stars Cover Reveal January 11 and 12, 2017! It will take place on Facebook so you can join in the celebration from anywhere on Earth (or anywhere in the Milky Way, or any other galaxy with an internet connection): 

https://www.facebook.com/events/356770771333659/

There will be all kinds of entertaining games, quizzes, giveaways and guest hosts, as well as some exclusive details about the characters and world of Digging in the Stars. It’s going to be almost as enlightening as a trip to planet Thror, only without the mind-numbing spaceship journey and occasional asteroid collisions.

Prizes will be involved and I want all of my guests and fellow Stardiggers to have a chance at winning. I’ll be sharing some hints, tips and resources on this blog to help you on this journey. Do your homework and you won’t leave the party empty-handed!

Clue #1: The culture of ancient Thror was profoundly “scentient” - that means scents, smells, fragrances, perfumes, essences, odors, aromas, and miscellaneous redolences played an immense role in the way Throrians viewed their world and expressed themselves. Scents were the main method for constructing one’s identity; they could be used to convey moods, show feelings, make specific statements, seal agreements, issue commands, connect with one another, celebrate special occasions and create atmosphere. The following diagram represents only a small fraction of the vast range of ingredients used by the Throrians to brew their scents, along with some examples of scent burners, vials, scent-bearing jewelry, and other important scent-related equipment. The shapes, colors and textures of scent vials always corresponded with the purpose and meaning of the substance contained within.

In preparation for the party, think about some of your favorite scents. What are they made of? What do you think they say about you? What do they mean to you? What do you keep them in and/or how do you disburse them? Join the party to find out what your personal scent signature would be on Thror!

Sea Slugs and Hairstyles

Now that I’ve shared some of the preparations for my journey, I believe it is time to reveal more about the civilization that I am actually exploring. I am planning a series of in-depth posts about the species that inhabit Planet Thror, their appearance, their cultures, food preferences, traditional costumes, art and languages.

Today’s transmission is all about the Stratinites, an ancient culture that inhabited Thror for centuries and left behind a wealth of mysterious subterranean chambers, beautiful art and some very dramatic historical records. But today we will not be talking about revolutions, brutal assassinations, and horribly disfigured corpses.

This post is about hair, or lack thereof. Instead of hair, the Stratinites had something similar to the cerata of Earthian sea slugs or the external gill rami and filaments of axolotls. The cerata of the Stratinites were just as vibrantly colored and sometimes phosphorescent and they could also absorb oxygen and nutrients from air and water.

As the Stratinites were much larger than our sea slugs (just taller than the average modern human), their cerata were far longer and more powerful and could operate on land as well as underwater.

Fragile and vulnerable, but also beautiful and surprisingly agile, Stratinite cerata were equally a source of vanity and anxiety. They could change color in moments of danger or strong emotion, much as a human face can grow pale or blush. As cerata are much thicker and more sensitive than human hair, Stratinites avoided sharp or constricting ornaments, preferring loose styles and light but bold details.
  

Much thought and effort was lavished on protecting one’s cerata. The Military (left) even wore specially designed armor - each ceras was individually plated with flexible tubes of impenetrable Bjornium metal. The Tunnellers (right) who worked in harsh conditions, digging tunnels and passageways in the planet’s frozen core protected their cerata from flying shards of rock and sub-zero temperatures with thick leather “head aprons.”

           

Some of the busier Stratinites, like Treasurers and Scientists, found innovative and practical uses for their muscular cerata. The cerata of the Treasurer below seem as delicate as those of the sea slug beside him, but they are dexterous enough to hold on to his most precious and secret keys at all times. He never has to let them out of his sight (or head).

 This Scientist has cleverly woven nose plugs into his front cerata, always ready to block out a poisonous or foul-smelling chemical. On Thror, it’s always best to prepared for a poisonous gas attack.

The length, color and condition of one’s cerata are also a mark of status. The higher up a Stratinite is and the less he is exposed to danger and hard manual labor, the more he can allow his cerata to grow long and flow freely. The Grand Vizier (below) takes great pride in the sophisticated blue-rose hue of his fine, floor-length cerata. They are almost translucent like those of this gorgeous sea slug beside him and every bit as decorative. Of course he can’t get far trailing those around after him.
          

Come back next week to find out more about Throrian fashions and the unconventional native materials they use. You never know when you may be summoned to a Grand Council meeting only to find that your ceremonial robes are all out of fashion.